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Directive that is yet to take effect

Bangalore: Deputy commissioners are yet to hold Janata Darshan in the district headquarters as directed by Governor Rameshwar Thakur during his first such programme on October 9.

At the Governor’s Janata Darshan here on Saturday, it was the familiar scene of men, women and children, particularly poor people from the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minorities, pensioners, freedom fighters, the disabled, and those seeking house sites, medical relief, widow pension and old age pension arriving in large numbers with their petitions.

Looking at the large number of people coming for the Janata Darshan from the districts, the Governor had asked the deputy commissioners to organise similar programmes in the districts, as it would be easy for the petitioners to approach the nearest district headquarters rather than come all the way to Bangalore.

The deputy commissioners “seem to be busy with routine work,” an official at the Janata Darshan said, referring to the programme not taking off in the districts.

When an elected government is in power, people have the option of meeting Ministers and MLAs, but under President’s Rule they can only attend Janata Darshan to present their problems.

Of the 1,100 applications received by the Governor on Saturday, 179 related to issues that came under the deputy commissioners, 80 to the chief executive officers of zilla panchayats and 20 to the tahsildars of various taluks.

Besides, some 300 applications related to the Department of Women and Child Development, the Women and Child Development Corporation, Ambedkar Development Corporation, Devaraj Urs Development Corporation, Minorities Development Corporation and Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation and other departments.

A senior official in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, however, said that the petitions from the public were being processed and steps taken to redress them.

Citing two cases from Dharwad and Gulbarga districts, he said that the petitioners from far-flung areas could get relief from the deputy commissioners if the programme was organised at their level.